Nutcracker



@Cl-1,1929 A A. P. J. volGT "1,729,905 n l NUTCRACKER Flq July 25, 1927 Patented Oct.. l, 1929 l i f c i i UNlTEojsTATEs, PATENT ,oFFIcEfg l ALBEnTnmVoIeT, or* GALVEsToNlTEXAs l i Akpiicatitn flied mayas, 1927. serial No. 203,128."k y* i My invention relates to nut crackersofthe the fcorrugations but are themselves curved mechanically operated type', the object being rearwardlyk relative to the direction of rotato crack and remove the shell from the kernel, ytion of the plate, so that the tendency .both v or meat, of nuts of varioussizes. It is par-r of the corrugations and of the Vanes Will be 5 ticularly adapted for use in cracking and reto throw the nuts towardthe outer edge of .-55

moving the shells from nuts of palm trees the plate. K of the cohune variety. These nutsiare of The lower plate 3 is also providedwith a vgeneral oval or egg shaped formv andare .of spiral corrugation 7 on its upper face.` Said `various sizes` v i. Y o plate is of slightly smallerdiameter than the v.m It is an object of my invention, therefore,to upper plate 2, the'grooved or toothed surface 60 ,.15 a most effectivevlmanner.

Iprovide Va cracker which will operate ef- 7 `beingjof approximately the same diameter A fectively upon all ordinary, sizesjof nuts so as the corrugated `ortoothed face of the upper as tocrack them without mutilatingthe kernel plate 2. Said plate 8 has a central openin and ,to remove the shuckfrom the kernelgin 8 therethroughjto receivea shaft 9,`to.which ;l the plate issecured land withwhichit i`S` 'ci Itis an object to first crack the shell upon rotatable., n 1 Y y the nutand then to` removethe kernel from the The said shaft, indicated at 9, extends very shell -by a, centrifugally operated apparatus ytically upward through'- the lower plate 'and vwhich serves to jar the kernel from the shell; through the lower portion vof the chute`1 vand v 20 v'Referring tothe drawings herewith, Fig 1 is secured atiits upper k.end within a bearing 7ov l i is avertical sectionthrough a cracking .appa- 10 centrally of. the chute` 1, saidbearing being ratus constructedin accordance withym'y inconnected by radiating braces 'or spokes 11 .veIltioILV Fig. 2 isa transverse.sectiontaken` to the wallsoft the 'enlarged ,chamber l12 on the plane2-2 ofF-g.` 1; `,Figse3;,and14 within the chute'l. A grease'cupl without -v 25 are similar sections taken on :the planes 3&3 the housing is connected by means of a tube 75 and 4-4 respectivelyof Fig. 1 and taken in 14 to the upperbearing ofthe shaft 9 so that the direction4 of the` arrows, y'asindioatedn .1. the saine may be lubricated; The lower end Itis kto belunderstood thatthenuts to be of the shaft Qlisextended through a base .cracked are `fedtothe vmachinethrougha plate 15 `and* seats withina bearing-16 se- 30 chute 1 which may lead from a husking appacured to said plate. Said bearingis an ad- 8o ratus or from a hopper or anycontainer disj ustableone, there -being'ja ,block/17' in the charging the nuts through;thegsaidv chute'to lower end of vthe' bearing housing, said block fthe cracking apparatus. Thev chute 1y is being adjustable vertically through an v"ad- .adapted tor `feed lthe, nutsby gravity tov a justing screw 18. "Saidscrew 18wil`fl serve u 3 5 cracker comprsinganupper p1ate'2 and a to take up for wear inthe bearing-during '85 Vlorwer'nplate rl`he upper, plate is preferoperation.k

ably'a solid'plate of. metal havinga central On the lower side of the plate 3f and -seopening 3 therein, to which is connectedthe cured thereto by bolts 19 isA a' gear `20. Said 'lower end of the chutel. The lower.y face. of gear is rotatable with the lower plate 3 ofthe 40 the said plate is provided witha spiral groove cracker and serves to communicate a rota- 00' ,4,jthecorrugations forming teethvadapted to `tive movement" to said plate yfrom a gear 21, engage the yshell of the nut and crack." it. vmeshing therewith vand secured upon the end The toothedface extends'from the Central vof a shaft 22 journaled; at itsy outer yend opening` in a downwardly inclined direction within a bearing`23 'and adapted 'to vbe ro.-

- 45 .toward the outere'dge, the corrugations ter,- 2 tated at variousspeeds througlig*pulleysv 24 een y minating short, of the' outer edge,'leaving a on said shaft. ,s y

.smooth uncorrugated surface 5 about the The cracker plate 3 is provided :with spir- I outer edge lof the plate.y Beside the spiral allyarranged vanes 25 `similar in construc"\ groove making'uprthe teeth: upon the plate I 1 tion Lto fthe vanes: 46 upon the(y upperfplate.

l5 0 'providea plurality` ofvanes 6, which cross `These'vanes 25 extendv rearwardly fomf'the 100 i Outside the cracker plates and spaced at asuitable distance therefrom is a baiiie pla-te 26. Said baille provides a side wall-ot a container into which the cracked nuts are discharged. Below this cylindrical'wall26 is the downwardly direct-ed discharge chute 27, from which'the crackedfnuts are discharged on toa separator, indicated at 28,;

,y The constructionof theseparator is no` part of the present invention. rlhe one shown i herein is set out and claimed in aseparate application co-pending with `this application and ile'dof even date therewith and bearing Serial No. 208,129. It includes a tank29 in which liquid may be placed and the .flotation system is relied upon forseparating'the kernels from the shucks.` Arconveyer, shown at 80, assists .in carrying the shucks frointhe tank. ylt is understood that thisseparator is representative of any type of separator which may be `desired to use, and. further description will be unnecessary.,v

In the operation of my device, the nutswill `be fed through the chute l upon the `lower of the plates 8, which will `be rotated at afrapid rate of speed, so `.that the nuts will be moved radially outward from the center and into the converging spacev` between the upper and lower cracking plates.` Each nut will even tuallyr engage between the plates and `be carried by, centrifugal force outward so that the shell will be crushed and the further cen.- tri'fugal `action will -discharge the cracked nut laterally with some force against the baffle formed by the side wall 26 The shock'of the cracked nut striking the wall will be sulicient to separate the kernel from the shell and the shell and kernel will bedischarged by gravity through the chute 27into the separator. The vanes upon the two plates assist in working the nuts outwardly under the force of rota tion of the lower plate. Itlwillbe not'edthat there will be a screw action betweenthe two plates due to the spiral shape of the teeth and of the vanes which will-work the nuts into ,the constricted space between the plates so that they will be crushed to crack the shells without injuring the kernelwithin. The conftinued rotation of the `cracking plate will serve also'to discharge the cracked nuts-with such force as to separatethe kernel from the shell.r This is asimple and .positive arrange;- ment which makesr it `possible-to crack nuts of dilierent sizesat a rapid rate otspo'` d land without danger of choking the space between the plates, as now sometimes occurs, with other types of crackers. The advantages of this construction will be apparent without further description.

What I claim as new is:

1. A nut cracker comprising an -upper plate, anda lower plate, spiralgrooves on adjacent faces, said faces converging toward their outer edgesmeans to feed nuts to the space betweensaidplates and means to rotate one of said plates.

2. A nut cracker comprising an upper plate, anda lower plate, said plates having spiral grooves therein on their opposing faces, said'y faces converging. toward their outer edges to crack the nuts, means to feed nuts to the space. between said plat-es and means to rotate one olisaid plates to move the nuts toward the outer edges of said plates, and a baffle adjacent said plates againstwhich said nuts are thrown after being cracked.

3. A nutf cracker comprising an upper Y Y plate, and a lower plate, said plates having spiral grooves therein on their` opposing faces, saidv faces converging toward their outer edges, the upper 'of said plates havingfa central opening connecting with-a chute to feed nuts tothe space between said plates and means on said platestocrackthe' nuts asthey travel in said grooves. o.

4:. A- nut cracker comprising` upper and lower plates spaced apartV to receive nuts between them, spiral grooves onv said plates,

means to rotate the lower plate,A to move said nuts outwardly, said grooved surfaces? converging toward theouter edge, and additional means on said plates to move said nuts outwardly as said lower plate `is-ro'tated.

A? nut crackerv comprising upper' and lower plates spaced apart to receive nuts beL tween them, spiral grooves onV saidl plates, means to rotate the lower plate, to move ,said nuts outwardly, said groovedsurfaces converging toward the outer edge, spirally arrangedvaneson said plates to move said nuts outwardly as saidy lower plate is rotated;l

6. A nut cracker .comprisingupper and lower platesspa'ced apartto receive nuts between them, spiral grooves'on said' plates, means to rotate the lower plate, to move `said nuts outwardly, said grooved surfaces' converging toward the outer edge, means on' said plates to move said nuts outwardly assaid lower platek is rotated, and means against which said nuts are adapted tocontact 'toremove the kernels therefromby concussion;

7. A nutvcracker comprising upper and lowertoothed plates, meansfto'` feed nuts into the spacebetween said plates, the spacebeL tween saidplates being a' converging one, grooves to move the nuts into said converging space for cracking,-and means loil-said plates to crack the nuts in saidgrooves.`

8. Avnut cracker comprising; upper and lower toothed plates, means to feed nuts into the space between said plates, the space between said plates being a converging one, means to move the nuts into said converging space for cracking, and means to rotate one of said plates, and a baille against which said nuts are adapted to be discharged to separate the shells from the kernels.

9. A nut cracker including a pair of plates I adapted to receive nuts therebetween, spiral grooves formed on the outwardly converging adjacent faces of said plates whereby the nuts travel into a position to be cracked, and means on said faces to crack the nuts.

10. A nut cracker adapted to crack nuts of various sizes including a pair of plates, concaved faces on said plates whereby an outwardly tapering cavity is formed and means on said faces to conduct the nuts outwardly to be cracked.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature this 15th day of July, A. D. 1927.

ALBERT P. J. VOIGT. 

